Trolley-pole.



UNITED STATES JAMES F. OSBURN AND WILLIAM T. COAD, OF PASADENA, CALIFORNIA.

PATENT OFFICE.

TROLLEY-POLE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 26, 1905.

Application filed June 21, 1905. Serial No- 266,340.

To all whom, it nuty concern:

Be it known that we, JAMES F. OSBURN and WILLIAM T. COAD, citizens of the United States, residing at Pasadena, in the county of Los Angeles and State of California, have invented new and useful Improvements in TrolleyPoles, of which the following is a specification.

Our invention relates to a trolley-pole for use in an overhead feed-wire; and the object thereof is to produce a trolley-pole that will not leave the feed-wire as long as the car is on the track and in which the trolley-wheel may be withdrawn from contact with the feed-wire by mechanism operated by compressed air. WVe accomplish these objects by the trolley-pole described herein and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a side elevation of our trolleypolewith some of the parts in central section. Fig. 2 is a central section taken on a plane at right angles to Fig. 1 with certain of the parts in elevation. Fig. 3 is a section on the line 3 3 of Fig. 1 looking toward the base. Fig. 4 is a detail of the cut-off valve on the air-pipes.

In the drawings the base 5 is secured upon the top 6 of the car in any suitable manner. To the base is secured the guide-shaft 7, which is provided with a longitudinal slot 8. In the top of the guide-shaft are mounted rollers 9 and 10, over which pass chains 11 and 12. The lower ends of these chains are secured to springs 13 and 14, which springs are secured to the base. The other ends of these chains are secured to the equipoise-frame 15, to which frame is pivotally secured the depending arms 16 and 17 of the trolley-harp 18. A bolt 19 passes through the lower ends of these arms and through the equipoiseframe and secures the two together. This bolt passes through the slot in the guideshaft. If desired, the base of the equipoiseframe could snugly encircle the guide-shaft and the slot be omitted; but we prefer the slot with the bolt passing therethrough, as we think it provides a better bearing. To the outer ends of the base of the equipoiseframe are secured springs which are also secured to depending arms of the trolley-harp. In Fig. 1 two of these springs 20 and 21 are shown, there being a similar pair secured in like manner upon the other side. These springs keep the arms of the trolley-harp normally in a vertical position and in case the trolley-wheel should accidentally leave the feed-wire while the car is running will permit the arms of the harp to turn on bolt 19 to pass under the span-wires.

As our improved trolley-pole will always be normally in a vertical position when run ning, to avoid the danger of the trolley-wheel 22 leaving the feed-wire 23 we have made the harp very wide and on each side of the trolleywheel have provided tapering guide-rollers 24 and 25, which will guide the feed-wire back to the trolley-wheel in case it accidentally leaves the same when the car is running. On the outer sides of the harp are guide and brace arms 26 and 27, which are provided as an additional safeguard to prevent the harp from getting from beneath the feed-wire. By this construction we have provided a trolley pole in which the danger of a tr0lley-wheel leaving the feed-wire While the car is running is reduced to the minimum, and, in fact, under normal conditions it is absolutely impossible for the trolley-wheel to leave the feed-wire. Ihe tension of springs 13 and 14 is such that they give a proper contact between the trolley-wheel and feed-wire and also keep the two in engagement notwithstanding the varying height of the feed-wire above the roof of the car. tween the equipoiseframe and guide-shaft, roller-bearings 28 are provided in the equipoise-frame. A guide-rope 29 is secured to the trolley-harp to guide the trolley-wheel to and from the feed-Wire. It is sometimes de sirable that the trolley-wheel be disengaged from the feed-wire, and it is oftentimes desirable that the trolley-wheel be lowered as near to the roof of the car as possible, particularly when the car is being run into the barn. To accomplish this, we have provided an air-cylinder 30, having a piston 31 therein. To this piston is secured a forwardlyextending stem 32, to which is secured a rope 33, which passes around an idler-pulley 34, preferably mounted in bearings in the guideshaft, and thence passing upwardly and secured to the bolt which unites the arms of the harp to the equipoise-frame. The aircylinder is connected at its forward end by a pipe 35, which passes through the roof of the car and then branches, one branch running to the front end of the car and the other branch running to the rear end of the car and then running downwardly to beneath the car to the compressed-air reservoir. (Not shown.)

To reduce the friction be- These branch pipes are provided with controlling-cocks 36, the details of which are shown in Fig. 4. The outer casing 37 of the controlling-cock is provided with a port 38, which registers with an L-shaped channel 39 in the valve stopper or gate 40. Surrounding the stopper and within the outer casing is an inner casing 41, which is provided with a port 42, which is adapted when the valve is in the position shown in Fig. 4 to register with the L-shaped' channel 39 to throw the front end of the air-cylinder into communication with the outside air or exhaust. Said interior casing is also provided with ports 43 and 44, which register with pipe 35. The valve-gate is also provided with a transverse channel 45,

which extends therethrough at right angles to the line of direction of the L-shaped channel 39 and is designed to connect ports 43 and 44 when the valve-gate is turned a quarter-turn from the position shown in Fig. 4, thereby permitting the air from the compressed-air supply to enter the air-cylinder. The valve-gate is provided with a stem 46, having a handle 47 affixed thereto,by means of which the gate is operated. When in normal condition, with the trolley-wheel in engagement with the feed-wire, the controllingcocks or at least one of them, would be in the position shown in Fig. 1, throwing the aircylinder into exhaust. If desired, the other controlling-cock could be turned a half-turn from the position shown in Fig. 4, which would cut ofi both'the air and exhaust at that cock, leaving the other controlling-cock open, which cock would be within reach of the motorneer or driver of the car, who could then control the operation of the air-cylinder by throwing the same into airor exhaust at will. As the height of the feed-wire varies when the car is running, there would be at times slack in the rope 33 unless the same were taken up. We have provided the piston 31 with a rearwardly-extending stem 48, which projects through the rear end of the cylinder and is provided with a nut 49 on the end thereof. Betweensaid nut and the end of the cylinder is a spiral spring 50, which will draw the piston toward the rear end of the cylinder with sufficient power to take up the slack of rope 33 as the trolley-wheel is forced downwardly by the feed-wire. A casing 51 protects this spring. By this construction rope 33 is always kept taut, so that if air is turned into the cylinder the trolley-wheel may be immediately lowered.

Having described our invention, what we claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. A trolley pole comprising a base; a guide-shaft mounted thereon; rollers mounted in the top of said guide-shaft; an equipoise-frame slidable upon said guide-shaft; springs secured to the base; chains secured to said springs and passing overthe rollers in the guide-shaft and secured to said equipoise frame; a trolley-harp having depending arms, said arms being pivotally secured to said equipoise-frame; and springs secured to said equipoise-frame and to the arms of said harp.

2. A trolley pole comprising a base; a guide-shaft having a longitudinal slot therein secured to said base; rollers mounted in the top of said guide-shaft; an equipoise-frame slidable upon said guide-shaft; springs secured to the base; chains secured to said springs and passing over the rollers in the guide-shaft and secured to said equipoiseframe; a trolley-harp having depending arms, said arms being pivotally secured to said equipoise-frame; and springs secured to said equipoise-frame and to the arms of said harp.

3. A trolley pole comprising a base; a slotted guide-shaft secured thereto; rollers mounted in the top of said guide-shaft; an equipoise-frame slidable upon said guideshaft; springs secured to the base; chains secured to said springs and passing over the rollers in the guide-shaft and secured to said equipoise-frame; a trolley-harp having de pending arms; a bolt passing through said arms, said equipoise and guide-shaft and securing the same together; springs secured to said equipoise-frame and to the arms of said harps; a trolley-wheel mounted in said harp; guide-rollers tapering toward said trolley- Wheel mounted in said harp on each side thereof.

4. A trolleypole comprisin a base; a guide-shaft mounted thereon; ro ers mounted in the top of said guide-shaft an equipoise- I frame slidable upon said guide-shaft springs secured to the base; chains secured to said spring and passing over the rollers in the guide-shaft and secured to said equipoiseframe a trolley-harp having depending arms, said arms being pivotally secured to said equipoise-frame springs secured to said equipoise-frame and to the arms of said harp; an air-cylinder a piston therein; a stem secured to said piston; a connection between said stem and said equipoise-frame; a pipe connecting said air-cylinder with an air-supply; and a controlling-cock on said air-pipe.

5. A trolley pole comprising a base; a guide-shaft having a longitudinal slot therein secured to said base; rollers mounted in the top of said guide-shaft; an equipoise-frame slidable upon said guide-shaft; springs secured to the base; chains secured to said spring; and passing over the rollers in the guide -shaft and secured to said equipoiseframe; a trolley-harp having depending arms, said arms being pivotally secured to said equipoise-frame springs secured to said equipoise-frame and to the arms of said harp; an air-cylinder a piston therein; a stem secured to the forward end of said piston; a connection between said stem and said equipoiseframe; a stem secured to the rear end of said piston and projecting through the rear end of have hereunto subscribed ournalnes this 14th said cylinder; a nut 0n the end of said last day of June, 1905. stem; a spring on said stem intermediate said JAMES F. OSBURN. nut and cylinder; a pipe connecting the front WILLIAM T. COAD. end of said air-cylinder with an air-supply; Witnesses: and a controlling-cock on said air-pipe. G. E. I-IARPHAM,

In Witness that We claim the foregoing We MYRTLE A. JONES. 

